Hardcover | August 15, 2016

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Naguib Mahfouz is one of the most important writers in contemporary Arabic literature. Winner of the Nobel Prize in 1988 (the only Arab writer to win the prize thus far), his novels helped bring Arabic literature onto the international stage. Far fewer people know his nonfiction works, however—a gap that this book fills. Bringing together Mahfouz’s early nonfiction writings (most penned during the 1930s) which have not previously been available in English, this volume offers a rare glimpse into the early development of the renowned author. As these pieces show, Mahfouz was deeply interested in literature and philosophy, and his early writings engage with the origins of philosophy, its development and place in the history of thought, as well its meaning writ large. In his literary essays, he discusses a wide range of authors, from Anton Chekov to his own Arab contemporaries like Taha Hussein. He also ventures into a host of important contemporary issues, including science and modernity, the growing movement for women’s rights in the Arab world, and emerging ideologies like socialism—all of which outline the growing challenges to traditional modes of living that we saw all around him. Together, these essays offer a fascinating window not just into the mind of Mahfouz himself but the changing landscape of Egypt during that time, from the development of Islam to the struggles between tradition, modernity, and the influences of the West.

About The Author

Naguib Mahfouz (1911–2006) was the most important Arabic writer of his generation. He is the author of over thirty novels, including The Cairo Trilogy, Thief and the Dog, Miramar, and Children of the Alley. He is the winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature. Aran Byrne is a senior editor and translator at Haus Publishing. Rasheed ...

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Table of Contents

Introduction Translator’s Preface The Demise of Old Beliefs and the Emergence of New Ones Women and Public Office The Development of Philosophy in the Pre-Socratic Era The Philosophy of Socrates Plato and His Philosophy Anton Checkhov (The Russian Author) Three of Our Writers Love and the Sexual Impulse Philosophy According to the Philosophers What is the Meaning of Philosophy? Psychology: Its Trends and Methods, Ancient and Modern Animal Life and Psychology The Senses and Sensory Perception Consciousness Theories of the Mind Language Art and Culture I Have Read (Part 1) I Have Read (Part 2) Of Art and History Concerning the Book Artistic Imagery in the Qur’an

Editorial Reviews

“Perhaps best known as a novelist, Egyptian Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz was a prolific commentator on extraliterary issues, both national and international. On Literature and Philosophy: The Non-Fiction Writing of Naguib Mahfouz collects, for the first time in English translation, a representative selection of his early essays on topics ranging from philosophy in the pre-Socratic era to artistic imagery in the Koran. . . . The anthology provides important insights into mid-twentieth-century currents of thought that informed the acclaimed author’s subsequent novels. Dating in large part to the 1930s and 1940s, the essays highlight the consequential influence of European philosophy on the evolution of Arabic intellectual history. According to El-Enany, if Mah?fuz? “had not been a great novelist, he would have been a great teacher.”. . . Recommended.”